PUBLIC

RELATIONS
Solution Study

Insights, Landscape, & Vendor Analysis

 PUBLIC RELATIONS
Solution Study

Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary 03

2 What is a Public Relations Solution? 05

3 Public Relations Maturity Model 08

4 Benefits of Public Relations 11

5 Public Relations Deployment Lifecycle 13

6 Vendor Selection Criteria 17

7 Public Relations Solutions Landscape 20

8 Analyst Bottom Line 24

Action Plan 25

Our Solution Study Methodology 36

About 37
 PUBLIC RELATIONS
Solution Study

Executive Summary
 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 4

Executive Summary
“The press release is dead” is a proclamation that provokes a lot of
debate in the public relations (PR) community. The reality is that the
This Solution Study covers:
press release is not dead, but it has changed.

Once it was the currency of news dissemination, but decades of abuse What is a Public Relations Solution?
and the rise of online media have changed the uses and value of the
press release.

What hasn’t changed is that PR is still an important strategy for many Benefits of Public Relations
companies to engage an audience and create awareness.

The content creation and influencing skills of the PR professional are more
important than ever, and in a broader context than just traditional media. Public Relations
Deployment Lifecycle
As the role of the PR professional has evolved, so have the supporting
tools and software. This report provides insights and analysis to help
marketers understand the solutions available to help the modern PR
practitioner. Vendor Selection Criteria
If your organization has a defined public relations role and needs to
support it with a PR platform or solution, this report will provide you
Public Relations
with fresh insights on the options, approaches, and vendor solutions.
Solutions Landscape

Action Plan
PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 5

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Solution Study

What is a Public
Relations Solution?
 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 6

What is a Public Relations Solution?

Demand Metric defines Public Relations as: Role in Digital Marketing
Demand Metric considers Public Relations to be an integral part of Digital
The software, tools, and data that help PR Marketing. The role of Public Relations in the digital landscape can be
professionals form relationships with media seen in our Digital Marketing Roles Matrix (next page).
and influencers by saving time on the process
Driven by the Public Relations Manager, Public Relations processes, tech-
of identifying contacts, enabling communica-
nologies, and platforms are used primarily by Public Relations and Strategic
tions with them, monitoring, and sharing the
Communications to create relationships with external media, bloggers,
content they produce.
and influencers for news stories and other earned media opportunities.

Success in Public Relations continues to depend on skill in building rela-

tionships and influencing the influencers with effective, timely communica-
tion of relevant content.

Public Relations solutions facilitate the success of their users by helping

them better manage their relationships and communications processes.

Assess the maturity level and capabilities of your current Public

Relations processes and technologies with Demand Metric’s Media VIEW RESOURCE
Relations and PR Audit.
 DIGITAL MARKETING
Roles Matrix

ROLES RESPONSIBILITIES PROCESSES TECHNOLOGY CONTENT METRICS

Revenue Accountability Budgeting & Planning WCM Thought Leadership Blog Revenue by Channel
Senior
Staffing & Channel Management Reviews & Coaching Marketing Automation Webinar Presentations Customer Lifetime Value, NPS
Management Conference Keynotes Return on Customer (ROC)
Reporting to CEO/Board Recruitment & Retention CRM

Brand Strategy Digital Marketing Budget WCM Data Sheets, Whitepapers Market Share, Profitability
Strategic
Marketing Strategy Social Agency Management Content Marketing Platforms Case Studies/Testimonials Brand Equity
Communications
Mobile Marketing Strategy Communications Management Social Media Platforms Competitive Analysis Content Usage

Lead Generation & Events Advertising/Sponsorship Marketing Automation/Email Advertising/SEO Campaign ROI, Email Metrics
Demand
Inbound/Outbound Marketing Lead Generation Digital Asset Management Email Campaigns Marketing Qualified Leads
Generation Event/Survey Management Contribution to Pipeline
Sales Opportunity Management Tradeshows Webinars

Web Content Management Content Creation WCM, Blogging Platforms, MA Website and Blogs Content Views, Links Earned
Content
Content Marketing Campaign Analysis Content Mktg & Distribution eBooks, Articles Content Conversion
Marketing Content Distribution Video Marketing Platforms Content Published
Content Scoring Videos

Online Community Management Community Development WCM Posts, Tweets, Photos User Engagement
Community &
Social Listening Social Channel Management Social Media Platforms Forums, Chats, Comments Sentiment Analysis
Social Media Social Reputation Management Social Channels & Networks
Social Engagement Articles, Community News Campaign ROI

External Communications Influencer Identification Media Contact Database News Content/Press Releases Mentions/Impressions
Public Relations Media Relations Relationship Cultivation News Distribution & Monitoring Thought Leadership Content Audience Growth & Engagement
Analyst Relations Content Creation/Distribution Analytics & Reporting Rich Social Media Content Sentiment Analysis

New Product Development Product Launch WCM New Features/Ideas for R&D Avg. Revenue Per User
Product
Mobile App Development Product Positioning Mobile Development Platforms Gamification Avg. Order Value
Marketing Video Production/Development Competitive Analysis Video Production Platforms Competitive Analysis Conversion Rate, Renewal Rate

Interactive Experience Customer Experience Customer Profile Management Buyer Personas Customer Satisfaction Index
Customer
Customer Satisfaction Customer Journey Mapping Customer Support, Twitter Customer Journey Map Customer Lifetime Value
Experience Customer Advocacy Customer Persona Creation Survey & Social Channels Proposals, Presentations Net Promoter Score (NPS)
 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 8

Public Relations Maturity Model

A modern marketing organization that desires to align itself for Public Our Maturity Model shows the progression of an organization from Stage 1
Relations must focus on eight core areas. These are: (Undefined) to Stage 4 (World Class) in each of these areas.

Orientation Level of Commitment

The strength of the commitment and the focus on excellence in Public
Leadership Relations initiatives and campaigns drives other best practices.

Process Focus
Planning
Technology & Interoperability Public Relations Marketers create strategies, goals, and KPIs for
every point of their Public Relations effort.
Media Engagement
Processes
Budget & Staff
Public Relations Marketers develop measurable processes for
each phase to ensure progress and success.
Management & Policy

Metrics Resources
World Class Organizations ensure that sufficient resources (time, talent,
tools, money) exist for each initiative, campaign, and phase of their plan.
Demand Metric’s Public Relations Maturity Model can be used in combi-
nation with the vendor landscape analysis and charts detailed in the
Management
Public Relations Solutions Landscape section of this report. World Class companies effectively manage the change, progress,
and results of Public Relations efforts.
For each of the four deployment stages, our maturity model and
vendor landscape can enable a modern marketing organization to
move forward in process efficiencies, programs, and technologies for
Public Relations.
 PUBLIC RELATIONS
Maturity Model

STAGE 4 - World-Class
STAGE 3 - Mature
STAGE 2 - Progressive
Public STAGE 1 - Undefined
Relations A sustainable strategy is in place
that produces consistent results and
A strategy is in place that has produced
creates measurable value
Need for a strategy becomes apparent some results; Investments are made to
No defined strategy or process for and strategy formulation begins by trial increase strategy effectiveness
Orientation
Public Relations and error

PR is acknowledged as a critical
Recognition that PR is important and success strategy, understood by all
Awareness of need for PR exists; making some contribution; Greater leader- and with strong executive participa-
Leadership Unaware of need for or value of PR; Part-time responsibility delegated to ship involvement in some communications tion and support
Willing to fund press releases for regu- marketing; Communications begin to
latory compliance only trickle out

PR process completely focused on

When the “spray & pray” approach delivering insights and value to key
Spray and pray. Produce press doesn’t produce results, focus shifts
Process Focus No established media relationships
influencers, with whom there are excel-
releases, find targets and send as to building relationships with key lent relationships
or process to develop them email attachments influencers

Fully integrated, cutting-edge PR solu-

Subscription to a media contact data- tion provides media contacts, media
Technology & Spreadsheets/homegrown media base is added to more easily identify key monitoring, news distribution and
Interoperability No PR solutions in use contact DB in use; Google search used influencers reporting/analytics
to identify media contacts; News distri-
bution services
 PUBLIC RELATIONS
Maturity Model
Public
Relations STAGE 1 - Undefined STAGE 2 - Progressive STAGE 3 - Mature STAGE 4 - World-Class

Strong, extensive set of relationships

Some media relationships exist and there exist with media influencers; Company
Learning who key media contacts are, is understanding about how to build them is often sought after as an expert
Media No proactive engagement. Media but media contacts don’t yet know
Engagement source
interaction happens only when or if them
media inquiries occur

An internal PR team exists that

One or more full-time PR staff, often functions like an agency, and is often
Budget & Bare bones budget for limited news supported by an agency or publicist; supported by an outside agency;
Staff No budget exists; Spending & staffing release distribution; Part-time responsi- Budget for media contact DB subscrip- Ample budget for tools, training and
is ad hoc bility of one staff member tion and professional development travel to meet influencers
conferences

Expert media-relations skills exist;

The PR team works in close proximity
Experienced with a solid understanding
to executive team; Execs consider
Management & Inexperienced but willing to make of the PR process and engagement
something happen; PR efforts communications excellence a competi-
Policy Reluctance, ignorance or even fear of protocols; Management gets reports
managed by someone fairly low in tive advantage
media engagement; No designated and has regular dialogue with PR team
the organization
media spokesperson

Advanced output and outcome

Output metrics plus some deeper metrics including sentiment analysis
Metrics Output metrics (e.g. number of press outcome metrics around interactions or and the ability to link PR efforts to
No formal measurements in place releases issued) and basic outcome relationships with influencers business result
metrics (e.g. number of placements, etc.)

Want to rate your organization’s Public Relations maturity with an

interactive tool? Download our Media Relations and PR Audit VIEW RESOURCE
and get started today!
PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 11

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Solution Study

Benefits of Public Relations

 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 12

Benefits of Public Relations

Perhaps more than any other strategy, an effective Public Relations effort PR solutions provide some or all of the following benefits:
has the ability to create awareness and put small companies on the same
Access to media contacts database
stage as their larger rivals.
Regular updates to media contacts database
One of the greatest challenges of executing a PR strategy is identifying
who the journalists and influencers are with which you need to cultivate Ability to search contacts by beat, interests, outlet, and other criteria
a relationship.
Research/archive of past coverage
Identifying these contacts is the first priority of a PR professional, and
Insights & pitching tips for contacts
providing this information is one of the top benefits of PR solutions.
Maintaining a history of contacts
In addition to helping identify contacts, PR solutions deliver other bene-
fits as well by helping PR professionals organize their work, provide Targeted press release distribution
reference data on media contacts and outlets, enable research, facilitate
Integration with social media for sharing
communication, and track results.
Media monitoring to detect placements

Customized reports & newsletters of hits

Email alerts of hits & placements

Online newsrooms

Analytics dashboards
PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 13

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Solution Study

Public Relations
Deployment Lifecycle
 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 14

Public Relations Deployment Lifecycle

The PR solutions that exist today do not have a steep learning curve. FIGURE 1
Most of them are cloud-based offerings, so implementation is generally Public Relations Deployment Lifecycle
a matter of securing a subscription and completing some basic training.

Where the implementation issues exist, however, is with the process, not
the tools themselves. As users progress to more advanced stages of PR
process maturity, their need for tools and support progresses as well.

Here are the stages presented in order of maturity (also seen in Figure 1):

1 Unaware
The need for or value of the public relations function is not
known or understood.
In some cases, naiveté causes organizations to believe that the
media will eventually “discover” them and coverage will result.
At some point, frustration – usually caused by coverage of
competitors – forces the realization that intervention is needed
to generate placements. No tools are in use during this stage.
PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPLOYMENT LIFECYCLE PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 15

2 Entry 3 Learning
A desire to have media coverage, but no understanding of Lack of early success usually forces the organization to understand
the process, no tools, no experience, no relationships, flawed that it doesn’t have the proper experience or resources. Some
expectations, and little success. What organizations do have at organizations will abandon efforts at this point, writing the
this point is resolve, which propels them forward. experience off as a failure.
Early attempts at engaging media and influencers are often Others will learn what resources, tools, and experience are
unsuccessful, typically characterized by the “spray and pray” necessary and begin putting them in place.
approach to disseminating a news release. Informal tools are in
The tools don’t differ in this stage, just the realization that the
use during this stage, such as Google searches and spreadsheets.
approach and tools are flawed.
A news distribution service is often tried to send out press
releases.

4 Reboot 5 Early Stage Success

Through failure, organizations learn that the “spray and pray” Once a sound approach to PR has been committed to, the
approach to PR doesn’t work. organization begins to experience some early success. Success
is measured by placements, but also by relationships.
At this point, they reboot their PR efforts by putting the emphasis
on building relationships and adding value. Members of the media and influencers become aware of the
organization in this stage, and there is some recognition of the
They put the right tools in to identify and manage key
organization as a source of information. The organization has
relationships, and they take a long-term view of getting results.
identified and built relationships with most of the media and
The primary tool in this stage is a media contact database with influencers that matter to them.
news distribution. The importance of monitoring has often not
From a tools perspective, monitoring has become important, as
registered.
well as media contact relationship management. In most cases,
Comprehensive PR solutions are in use to provide these functions.
PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPLOYMENT LIFECYCLE PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 16

6 Late Stage Success

Organizations that have sustained their efforts to build
relationships and add value to them are acknowledged as
trusted sources by the media and influencers.
In this stage, the process of interacting with media and
influencers is almost frictionless.
The organization has built relationships with all media and
influencers that matter to them. Frequent placements occur as
a result. Organizations in this stage are using cutting-edge PR
solutions.

Download our Public Relations Playbook & Toolkit and

VIEW RESOURCE
develop a comprehensive public relations strategy & plan.
PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 17

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Solution Study

Vendor Selection Criteria

 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 18

Vendor Selection Criteria

The solutions an organization selects to support its PR function has a lot Ideally, awareness of these stages will allow organizations to skip the
to do with the commitment the organization has made to do PR. first two unproductive stages of the lifecycle, quickly go through the
third, and have the initial solution implementation to support the fourth
For organizations that dedicate staff to and strategize for PR, a
or “Reboot” stage.
comprehensive or cutting-edge solution is ideal.
As experience and success in relationship building contribute to
Other organizations don’t place the strategic emphasis on PR. In fact, for
results, expect the solution sophistication to evolve to match the
some, issuing press releases is simply done for regulatory compliance. In
needs and investment an organization makes in its PR efforts.
these cases, basic or standard PR solutions will work.
Success spawns the desire to invest more deeply in the PR process, often
Before making PR tool selections, organizations should first determine
leading to implementation of more sophisticated solutions to support it.
where they are on the PR Deployment Lifecycle:
Success is measured by the breadth and depth of relationships formed
Unaware
with media and influencers, as well as the placements that result from
Entry these relationships.

Learning For this reason, a monitoring solution is critical to measuring success.

Reboot PR solutions and tools must at least match the organization’s lifecycle stage,
otherwise the solutions can create drag instead of lift for the PR process.
Early Stage Success

Late Stage Success

PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 19

Figure 2 highlights the key functionality of Public Relations solutions according to the level of complexity from Basic to Cutting-Edge.

FIGURE 2
Public Relations Vendor Selection Criteria by Functionality Tier

CUTTING-EDGE Integrated Suite of PR Functionality, Online & Traditional Media Monitoring, Analytics with Reporting Features

COMPREHENSIVE Media Contact Database & Management, PR Monitoring & Distribution Features, PR Measurement & Analytics

STANDARD News Distribution Functionality, Media Contact Database, Specific Vertical Optimization

BASIC Standalone or Point Solutions for Media/Influencer, Contact or News Distributions

PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 20

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Solution Study

Public Relations
Solutions Landscape
 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 21

Public Relations Solutions Landscape

History
Public Relations solutions can trace their roots back to the late 1800s The result was a flurry of development, rebranding (e.g. Bacon’s to Cision
when press-clipping services began operating. Little changed in the in 2007), and merger and acquisition activity as vendors sought to fill the
following century, as the PR world remained very print media-centric. gaps in their solutions and position themselves more effectively.

The initial stage of PR solution evolution was marked by the The third and current stage of PR solution evolution occurred almost
emergence of a series of point solutions, oriented around print media, simultaneously with the previous stage: the coalescing of point
to help PR professionals accomplish their work: media contact lists, solutions into more comprehensive platforms.
wire distribution services, editorial calendar aggregation, and press
For example, traditional clipping services added, acquired, or merged
clipping services to name a few.
with media contact database providers. Wire distribution services added
Even at the dawn of the 21st century, PR solutions were still oriented monitoring (e.g. the MarketWire – now MarketWired – acquisition of
around print media, but that rapidly changed. Sysomos in 2010) and/or media databases.

The meteoric rise of online media was the catalyst for the next stage Now, a handful of companies have emerged that provide comprehensive
of PR solution evolution as the industry realized that it could no longer PR platform solutions that provide virtually all the needed functionality.
maintain its historical print media orientation.
In addition, specialty players continue to emerge and carve out market
Bloggers were recognized as key influencers and were included in media niches by offering a subset of services at lower prices.
contact databases. Internet monitoring was introduced. Press releases
found a new role in SEO. The industry as a whole realigned itself with the
new, online center of gravity.

The online opportunity gave rise to startups and offerings that were
positioned specifically around online media, creating pressure for the
traditional PR solution vendors to rapidly evolve their offerings.
PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTIONS LANDSCAPE PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 22

Playing Field
Vendors across the PR Solutions Landscape fall into several tiers based on
the features and functionality of their offerings:

Basic – At the basic level, point solutions provide targeted functionality, Comprehensive – The largest group of vendors (BurrellsLuce, Cision,
commonly a media/influencer contact solution like Crowdbuilder MyPRGenie, NASDAQ OMX) fall into this tier, which includes solutions
or news distribution such as PR.com. There is rarely integration with that provide the primary features of a PR solution, including media
complementary PR solutions or functions. Basic solutions are typically contact database & management, monitoring, distribution, and measure-
used by businesses needing lower cost solutions, or in larger companies ments & analytics. These areas of functionality are not integrated, or
to supplement other PR solutions in use. just have basic integration with each other. In other cases functionality
Standard – Second tier vendors like Bulldog Media’s Media Pro or is provided through partnerships with other solution providers.
Business Wire bundle multiple PR functions, such as a media contact Cutting-Edge – This most advanced tier is occupied by vendors
database with a news distribution function. Some standard offerings like MarketWired, PR Newswire, and Vocus that provide a full suite
are optimized for a specific vertical, such as TechNews (formerly of PR functionality, including a media contact database & contact
ITDatabase) for high-tech industry PR professionals, and Iris, optimized management, online and traditional media monitoring, news distri-
for managing day-to-day agency activity. bution, and measurements & analytics with reporting. These func-
tions are not only present in the solution suite, they are integrated
to a moderate or high degree.
PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTIONS LANDSCAPE PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 23

Evolution of the Landscape

The media and PR industry alike continue to grapple with the new reality Expect PR tools to become even more social. Already, many tools offer
that everyone is becoming a publisher. social media monitoring and sharing mechanisms.

The current crop of PR tools has always been helpful at securing earned As the tools evolve, the breadth and depth of their monitoring capabilities
media placements, and it is still important to do so. will improve in all areas, particularly Social Media.

Where the tools are less effective is in identifying and reaching the broader Furthermore, solution providers will make it easier for users to synthesize
spectrum of influencers whose names may not appear on a masthead, but intelligence from Social Media that is useful for identifying influencers
have built an impressive following through social media or by blogging. and producing more relevant content.

PR solution providers must continue to develop ways for their users to A final evolutionary trend worth noting is the blurring of the distinction
identify and monitor the influencers that matter to them. between marketing and PR professionals.

Influencer identification is no easy task because there are so many of As marketing continues to embrace Content Marketing strategies, the
them and new ones are constantly emerging. However, some solutions content authoring and relationship skills of the PR pro are in greater
and approaches do exist: demand by the marketing team.

Crowdsourcing – Solutions like MyPRGenie reward users for In fact, some PR teams have discovered the value of Marketing
identifying and adding new entries to the media contact database. Automation with owned media as a distribution and monitoring tool.

Triberr – A solution for developing a community of sharing and support Marketing and PR will increasingly find they are sharing common
with other bloggers. It’s essentially a community for influencers, ground when it comes to executing a content strategy.
connecting them with others to extend their reach.

Quora – One of the best-kept secrets for PR professionals, Quora

is essentially a community of influencers. It provides a free forum,
organized around communities of interest, for participants to ask
questions and get answers from influencers.
 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 24

Analyst Bottom Line

An effective PR process can exist in the absence of any of The solutions referenced in this report help PR professionals
the tools or solutions referenced in this study because PR stay deployed on tasks that represent their highest and best use
effectiveness is built on a foundation of relationships. to the organizations they serve.

It is possible to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships and The solutions available to the PR professionals are becoming more
provide quality content without these solutions. The tools can’t capable and accessible. There is a solution for every budget.
do this relationship building for you.
The modern marketer whose responsibilities include the PR
However, as the PR process in any organization becomes more function can accelerate getting results and streamline the
proficient and refined, the solutions can provide a tremendous process by using a PR solution.
productivity advantage.

A professional that has the skill to establish and nurture

relationships with the media and influencers is far better off to
invest in those activities, rather than spending hours searching
online for new contacts, trying to track the contact history in a
spreadsheet, and distribute news by sending individual emails.
PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 25

P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S
ACTION PLAN

Follow this simple, step-by-step methodology to develop a Public Relations plan that increases sales,
builds customer insights, and grows brand awareness.
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 26

1 Evaluate

2 Review Evaluate Your Maturity

3 Develop Assess the current state of readiness for the organization to

meet the defined objectives for Public Relations with our Media
Relations & PR Audit.
4 Understand

5 Request
VIEW RESOURCE

6 Identify

7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 27

1 Evaluate

Understand The Roles Required For World

2 Review
Class Public Relations
3 Develop
Evaluate the organizational impact of making the change from
your current systems and processes to a mobile platform.
4 Understand
Use our Digital Marketing Roles Matrix to review impacted
company roles, responsibilities, processes, and technologies.
5 Request

6 Identify

VIEW RESOURCE
7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 28

1 Evaluate

2 Review Build a Public Relations Plan You Can Share

With Stakeholders

3 Develop
Build your PR process to achieve these objectives. Use the
Public Relations Strategy Scorecard to document your objec-
4 Understand
tives, initiatives, and metrics to realize your goals.

5 Request

VIEW RESOURCE
6 Identify

7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 29

1 Evaluate

2 Review Discover and Research Key Mobile

Marketing Vendors
3 Develop
Develop a deep understanding of your audience and document

4 Understand your findings with our Customer Profile(s).

5 Request
VIEW RESOURCE

6 Identify

Review our Public Relations Vendor Matrix to learn about the

7 Select
key vendors in the Public Relations solution space, and to under-
stand which vendors may work best for your organization.

8 Strategize

9 Train VIEW RESOURCE

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 30

1 Evaluate

2 Review Obtain Proposals From Your Short List of

Public Relation Vendors
3 Develop
Prepare to review vendors by creating a standard Request for
Proposal (RFP) with our Public Relations System RFP Template.
4 Understand

5 Request
VIEW RESOURCE

6 Identify

7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 31

1 Evaluate

2 Review Learn More About Your Potential Vendors’

Product and/or Service
3 Develop
After receiving RFPs from potential vendors, schedule and attend
product/service demos with 3-4 vendors to get an up-close-and-
4 Understand
personal view of their solutions.

Follow these best practices:

5 Request
Prioritize your requirements and use cases.

6
Send your use cases to vendor in advance of demo.
Identify
Define meeting length (max 1 hour) up front.
Don’t let vendor control the demo.
7 Select
Rate each vendor using a scorecard.
Have vendor demo their solution to your top use cases .
8 Strategize
Make list of key items that vendor doesn’t have clear answers for.
Set clear expectations around follow-up and timeframes.
9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 32

1 Evaluate

2 Review Find the Best Fit by Evaluating Vendors Using

Selection Criteria
3 Develop
Evaluate your top 3-4 vendors in each category with our Public
Relations System Vendor Evaluation.
4 Understand

5 Request
VIEW RESOURCE

6 Identify

7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 33

1 Evaluate

2 Review Follow Proven Best Practices to Public

Relations Success
3 Develop
Develop an implementation strategy and communication plan to
roll-out the initiative across the organization and through your
4 Understand
channels.
Use our Public Relations Playbook to create your plan.
5 Request

6 Identify
VIEW RESOURCE

7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 34

1 Evaluate

2 Review Train Your Team About Public Relations

3 Develop Develop an education/training plan for all affected personnel:

marketing, product development, operations, and sales.

4 Understand

S TA R T L E A R N I N G
5 Request

6 Identify

7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
ACTION PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 35

1 Evaluate

2 Review Track Key Public Relations Metrics

3 Develop Measure and track the progress of your Public Relations program
with our Public Relations Metrics Dashboard.

4 Understand

VIEW RESOURCE
5 Request

6 Identify

7 Select

8 Strategize

9 Train

10  Measure
 PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 36

Our Solution Study Methodology

The Modern Marketing landscape is an ever changing, ever evolving Our Digital Marketing report series includes Solution Studies on:
environment in which new strategies, technologies, vendors, and
Content Marketing
products appear continually.
Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ)
Demand Metric Solution Studies provide marketers with a focus
on a specific technology solution set or focus area so that they are Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
armed with the knowledge, information, and tools they need to Email Marketing
develop effective strategies and action plans for their organizations.
Enablement Knowledge Management
Each Solution Study involves hours of analyst research, draws infor- Marketing Automation
mation from interviews with vendor executives and established
Mobile Marketing
vendor clients for a specific technology solution, and is usually
accompanied by a mini Tool-kit of practical resources. Public Relations

Solution Study Tool-kits are designed to provide marketers with the Sales Communication
tools & templates they need to plan for an initiative in a given focus Sales Intelligence
area, analyze the vendor landscape, and select the best vendor for
Social Media Marketing
their organization.
Video Marketing
 About ANA

The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) makes a difference for indi-

viduals, brands, and the industry by driving growth, advancing the interests
of marketers and promoting and protecting the well-being of the marketing
community.

Founded in 1910, the ANA provides leadership that advances marketing excel-
lence and shapes the future of the industry. The ANA’s membership includes
more than 1,000 companies with 15,000 brands that collectively spend or
support more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually. The
membership is comprised of more than 750 client-side marketers and 300
associate members, which include leading agencies, law firms, suppliers,
consultants, and vendors.

Further enriching the ecosystem is the work of the nonprofit ANA Educa-
tional Foundation (AEF), which has the mission of enhancing the under-
standing of advertising and marketing within the academic and marketing
communities.
 About Demand Metric

Demand Metric helps Marketing teams get stuff done with practical tools,
training, and a simple, modern platform for managing work.

Our analysts identify best practices from fast-growing companies and

build Playbooks & Toolkits, Guides & Reports, Training Courses, and Project
Templates to help you optimize your processes, add structure to your depart-
ment, and get your team punching above their weight class.

Manage your work visually with our easy-to-use platform, built for small
marketing teams by design. See what your team is working on at a glance
so you can spend less time managing projects and more time knocking
stuff off your list.

Through strategic partnerships with the AMA, ANA, and AIPMM, our 1,000+
time-saving tools & resources have become the industry standard. Don’t
start from scratch! LEARN MORE
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PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS SOLUTION STUDY 39

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